Riant Theatre's Strawberry One-Act Festival Holds 21-Play Marathon, Sunday AUG 9 at Tato Laviera Theatre in Harlem

The Riant Theatre's 28th Season of the Strawberry One-Act Festival will showcase a marathon of 21 one-act plays on Sunday, August 9 from 1:00pm - 11:00pm at the Tato Laviera Theatre, 240 East 123rd Street, between Second and Third Avenues.

These plays will be performed in five sections with tickets at $25.00 - $35.00 per section. A special rate for the marathon is 21 plays for $100.00 or $120.00 for premium seating. The Strawberry One-Act Festival continues through August 23 in Harlem. "The marathon is a fun opportunity for the audience to see a wide range of theatrical performances in one day. There are comedy, drama, musical, tragedy and horror themes. Binge viewing on Netflix proves that viewers like to see their favorite shows when they want and as often as they want. Why not with theatre?" explained Van Dirk Fisher, founder and artistic director of the Riant Theatre, a multicultural and inclusive institution, and the Strawberry One Act Festival. "One day after the play is performed at the theatre it will be available On Demand for viewing.

The Strawberry One-Act Festival is an awards competition and audiences can vote on plays at the theatre. Also, they can a purchase a play On Demand for $25 at the Riant Theatre website, which will count as a vote for that play. People can pre-order to see the plays On Demand now. The three plays that get the most On Demand views will have the votes they receive in the theatre tripled."

Here is the Strawberry One-Act Festival Marathon schedule:

Sunday, August 9 at 1:00pm "Angel on the Yellow Couch" written by K.K. Gordon and directed by John Schugard--Featuring: Terri Matassov, Kevin Schwab& Jonathan Weirich--Moving day with a couch, a crush, mischief and a little magic! "Change of Heart" written and directed by Rick Charles Mueller--Featuring: Nikki Martin, Rick Charles Mueller and Xavier Richards --Can best friends cross the barrier of sexual preference and form an intimate relationship? "The Unsalable Thing" written by Mark D. Tjarks and directed by Lacy Reily-Featuring : Carlotta Brentan, J. Dolan Byrnes, Anthony Castellano, Mary Orzano and Michael Perrie Jr.--Three contestants are in a bidding war for a mysterious storage locker. Who is the deceased owner and are there really some things that can't be bought? "Closure" written & directed by Vic Cuenca--Featuring: Jolynn Carpenter, Victor Cuenca and Brenda Cullen--A Facebook reconnection with an old love show Daniel and Sarah that bitterness is brutal. .

Sunday, August 9 at 3:00pm CECI N'EST PAS UN MÉTAPHORE written by Shannon McDavid and directed by Emma Skorepa--Featuring: Jen Beck and Jacob Betts--Art is fragile: A gallery-goer and a might-be artist have a tete-a-tete. "Future Fags of America" written and directed by Jack Wernick--Featuring: Kim Larkin, Colin Morgan and Daniel Prado--Right-wing housewife squares off against a LGBT activist in this homotopian satire. "Same Time, Same Bench" written and directed by Joseph Lizardi--Featuring: Hollis Fox and Joseph Lizardi--Susan's battle with breast cancer left her no choice but to have a double mastectomy. Desire and trust could make the difference when living on the edge of hope and despair. "Onward Upward" written by Freddy Valle and directed by Katherine Guanche and Freddy Valle--Featuring: Michelle Berenice Bino, Dereck Bridgewater, Liz Falstreau, Katherine Guanche, Jennifer Mesa, Isaac Moran & Freddy Valle--Charlie must venture through the game that is life in order to save his dearly beloved, Valarie. He must face dragons, monsters and enemies. Will he make it?

Sunday, August 9 at 5:00pm "Charles' Calamity" written and directed by Chris Lazzaro--Featuring: Chris Guttadaro, Shannon Hamm, Joe Laresca, Chris Lazzaro, Joshua Paled, MJ Roche, Christina Scaglione and Louis Vetter--In a satirical unforgiving world, a college freshman honors student, Charles, is dragged into an awful date by a sketchy hustling fifth year senior, Donnie. "Whale" written by Ali Keller and directed by Jennifer Curfman--Featuring: Kristin Granade and Benton Guinness--Bobby, an athletic swim team captain and Maggie, a formerly overweight art student, were friends since freshman year. Their friendship even survived Bobby making fun of Maggie's girth. However, when Bobby agreed to be the subject of Maggie's senior thesis, he did not agree to public humiliation. "Book Wench" written by Pat Hart and directed by Dennis Gleason--Featuring: Taylor J. Jopkins, Brenda Kuciemba, William E. Maher and Benjamin Manno--A young man bursts into Margie's home on a during a winter storm. She recognizes him as a boy who played on her son's little league team. Is he a cold and hungry traveler, waiting out the storm as he claims, or a violent boy turned murderous man? "Ben & Jess" written by Maria Concha and directed Mercedes Ilarraza--Featuring: Linda Alago, Laurel Caruso, Maria Concha, Mike Lockyeer and Marissa Jamie Schwartz--Ben and Jess are fun loving roommates and best-friends searching for meaning in life. In Jess' case much more. She's obsessed with finding the killer who murdered her young sister. .

Sunday, August 9 at 7:00pm "The Crossroad" written by Julia Genoveva and directed by Gus Ferrari--Featuring: Gus Ferrari, Julia Genoveva and Lynn Manuell--Andrea is sick of her life, she feels empty and lost. Then she meets a mysterious stranger who puts her face to face with the past, present and future.

"The Old Gang" written and directed by Kyle Giller--Featuring: Mazin Akar, Kyle Giller, Kai Lovelace and Devra Seidel--A group of old friends revel in their worst traits while holding their ideals of the hipster culture. "Forgive Me, Brother" written by Barry Slater and directed by Dennis Gleason--Featuring: James Lentini and Zach Tuckness--A small time gambler dying of cancer asked his alienated brother, a priest, to help him die. The priest thinks it means Last Rites. The gambler has other ideas. "Adele in Berlin" written by Lydia Nightingale and directed by Cameron McIntosh--Featuring: David Bowen, Joshua Popa, April Leonhard, Tana Sirols and Gonzalo Vargas--When offered the chance to escape from a city turned deadly in 1946, Berlin resident Adele eagerly takes it-but a shadow from her past threatens her future. Veal Cutlet and Pinot Noir" written and directed by Emma Marks--Featuring: Leila Cohen and ReSheda Terry--Sara and Michelle are an interracial lesbian couple living in New York City fighting to save their relationship. As Sara's professional star rises, Michelle is pushed further away from Sara. They must compromise or will lose everything.

Sunday, August 9 at 9:00pm "Another Dead Artist" written and directed by Anthony Marinelli--Featuring: Rick Schneider, Amanda Greer and Lucy Dolly Caires--A famous artist threatens to kill himself when his longtime protégée/muse reveals she is leaving him for another woman. The play deals with the nature of beauty and how it affects people as well as the fears and insecurities that all artists face.

"Casper the Not So Friendly Ghost" written by Domenic Servidlo and directed by Christopher Ferrer --Featuring: Chasity Hart, Christopher Michaels, Krystel Mills and Aflie Ramirez--This comedy is about a misunderstood spirit that's haunting a home recently purchased by a newlywed couple. The spirit, who just wants to hang out and watch TV, doesn't understand why his roommates want to kick him out.

"The Prophet" written by Lewis Payton Jr. and directed by Laurence Schwartz--Featuring: Issac Dean and Harrison Lubel--In South Hampton, Virginia in 1831, Nat Turner, America's most famous insurrectionists, killed over 60 white citizens in a rebellion against slavery. In his death cell, he meets with a white lawyer named Thomas R. Gray, who has been sent to document his confession. "Haram" written by Regine Mont-Louis and directed by Christopher James Welhert--Featuring: Asra Arif, Becca Beberaggi, Alan Ceppos and Joe Laureiro--Inspired by true events, Aminah, a young Muslim Iranian woman exchange student, returns home to Iran from an exciting period abroad in London. At home, she is confronted by tragedies including an ill mother and a father with business troubles. She finds herself in an uncontrollable situation with fatal results.

This year, the festival is also presenting five full-length plays. Fisher has produced over 1,500 one act plays at the Strawberry One-Act Festival, which was established in 1995. There are seven published anthologies of The Best Plays from the Strawberry One-Act Festival. The winners of the Strawberry One-Act Festival Awards will be announced at a special ceremony on Monday, August 24 at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street. The Riant Theatre's Awards Ceremony & Performance for the Strawberry One-Act Festival will feature performances from the four best plays from the festival and present awards for Best Play, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Short Film.

For more information on the Strawberry One-Act Festival's 28th Season and On Demand, please check out the website at www.therianttheatre.com or call 646-623- 3488.